Collapsible basket



Jan. 14, 1941. R. a. AHLMARK COLLAPSIBLE BASKET 2 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed June 6, 1939 Jan. 14, 1941. R. B. AHLMARK COLLAPSIBLE BASKET 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 6, 1939 Patented Jan. 14, 1941 PATENT OFFICE COLLAPSIBLE BASKET Roy B. Ahlmark, Rockford, Ill., assignor of onehalf to George William Carlson, Rockford, 111.

Application June 6, 1939, Serial No. 277,707

Claims.

This invention is directed to an improvement in baskets of foldable type, constructed with a view to permitting them to be readily and easily extended into substantially rigid open form, or 5 conveniently collapsed into compact folded form without requiring particular skill or knowledge in either operation.

Collapsible baskets are known in the art, but as generally known, are either of such complicated construction as to render it difficult for the ordinary person to either extend or collapse the basket without requiring considerable skill and labor to accomplish the result, or of such simple form as to render them decidedly insecure when extended and particularly liable to collapse under the weight of the material in the basket.

The basket ofthe present improvement is designed to provide a construction which, aside from the fabric wall, is constructed entirely of metal, with the provision of two movable parts designed inone position to lock the basket in an extended or open and substantially rigid formation, and in another position permit the convenient collapse of the basket into a substantially flat package, which will occupy a comparatively small area when stored or temporarily out of use. i

A further object of the invention is to provide the bottom of the basket of sheet metal or like material, formed in two sections, with the support of the basket when extended being directed through the handle to the meeting edges of the bottom sections, which under the tendency of the Weight of the contents tends to hold the 35 bottom sections in fiat aligned relation; and including metal frames which extend from the meeting edges of the bottom sections to the ends of the basket, and carry wedging frames which depend and movably contact with the remote ends of the bottom sections.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means whereby the handle may be foldable with respect to the basket proper to permit it to occupy a position below the open upper edge of the basket, and thus permit a series of baskets particularly when filled with merchandise in a store, to be piled one upon the other in compact space-saving relation, while still being readily accessible to the store keeper or customer, 50 with any such basket readily completed as a carrying basket by moving the folded handle into an upright position, with means for securing it against casual displacement from such position.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a flexible pocket-like container, with or without a zipper fastener, which may be removably connected at one end of the basket to conveniently receive orders to be filled, bills, or other necessary data.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the preferred form of basket, showing the same in open or extended relation. 4 a

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the frame for supporting the basket in open relation or permitting its collapse.

Figure 3 is a broken section at the meeting edges of the bottom sections, showing the means for mounting the frame and also the means for 15 rigidly connecting the handle to the bottom sections.

Figure 4 is a detail section on line 44 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a detail section similar to Figure 4, but showing the basket folded.

Figure '7 is a side elevation of the basket showing the movable handle section in folded or inoperative position.

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, showing the means for locking the movable handle section in operative position.

Figure 9 is a detail section on line 9-9 of Figure 10.

Figure 10 is a perspective view showing the basket in folded relation.

With more particular reference to Figures 1, 2' and 3, the basket framework is shown as made up of bottom sections I and 2,'preferably of thin metal and stamped as indicated at 3 for reinforcing purposes. The sections l and 2 are of an appropriate width and length when arranged in the same horizontal plane to provide a basket of required dimensions, and the meeting ends of these sections are provided with an edge band 4 of relatively narrow width, extending around the end edges of the sections and over the top and bottom thereof. The upper and lower surfaces of these bands are stamped to provide a narrow longitudinal reinforcing rib 5 on the upper surface, the stamping being formed after application of the bands, so that the under surface of the bands is recessed and the stamping extends through the metal of the bottom sections. 7

The ends of the rib stamping are enlarged at 6 to provide pivotal supports for the upper frame section, as will presently be described. The extreme ends of the lower section of the bands extend beyond the side edges of the bottom sections and are turned up to present ears I, which through the medium of a rivet 8 are connected to the lower ends of a handle section 9, which is of U-form and of appropriate height, with the upper transverse portion l extending across the basket and preferably of concavo-convex shape to assist its rigidity. A hand grip of Wood or other material, indicated at H, is secured within and centrally of the upper transverse portion of the handle, for carrying convenience.

As thus constructed, the bottom sections I and 2 may be conveniently disposed in the same horizontal plane or turned upwardly toward each other on the pivot rivets B, the longitudinal dimension of the bottom sections disposing their remote end edges when turned up below the cross portion ill of the handle.

The upper frame structure for the basket is duplicated for cooperation with each of the respective bottom sections. For each bottom section, the upper frame structure includes a U- shaped wire length of appropriate dimensions, the

, side bars [2 of which terminate at their lower ends at right angle portions to rotatably seat in the enlarged parts 6 of the reinforcing rib 5. The cross bar l3 of the wire length is commensurate with the width of the bottom sections, and the side bars 12 are of such length that when this wire part is in position occupied when the basket is extended, the cross bar I3 is substantially aligned vertically with the free end edge of the bottom sections. Depending from the cross bar l3 of the wire length is a wedging section, also of wire, having side bars M which are flattened and looped around the cross bar l3, as at It, for swinging connection of the wedging section to the wire frame. The bars it of the wedging section are formed at their lower ends with return bends 16, then projected upwardly at I! to a height less than that of the bars l4, and connected by a cross bar l8. The wedging sections are of course constructed of a single length of wire and provide two spaced points of contact with the bottom sections when the wedging sections are in operative position. The framework described is inclosed in a side wall l9, preferably a fabric, though any flexible material will answer the purpose and any attractive ornamentation is of course contemplated. The lower edge of this fabric wall is secured to the edges of the bottom sections I and 2 by bending the extreme edges of these sections over the lower edges of the fabric and clinching the same in place. The upper edge of the fabric passes over the cross bar 13 of the wire frameand over the extreme upper portion of the side bars l2, the edge of the fabric being merely turned over the edge and secured against displacement in any appropriate manner. Between the wire frames of the upper support, the upper edge of the fabric, indicated at 20, is extended without direct support, except at the handle portions, where it is connected by a rivet 2| to such handle.

When the basket is extended, as shown in Figure 1, the wedging sections are turned down until their lower foot portions l6 bear on the bottom sections l and 2 adjacent the free end edges of such sections. In this position the wire frame, to which the wedging sections are connected, inclines upwardly from the meeting ends of the bottom sections i and 2 and thus distends the intermediate unsupported upper edge of the fabric wall, thus arranging the whole in a rigid open basket form in which the material weight is supported by the handle and in which the bottom sections are prevented from folding under this weight by the wedging sections. In collapsing the basket, the wedging sections are simply swung on the cross bar l3 on the upper wire support to a position to free their foot ends 16 from contact with the bottom sections I and 2, whereafter the bottom sections may be simply folded upwardly, collapsing the fabric wall into a compact bundle between such bottom sections until the whole is arranged in the relation shown in Figure 10, forming a relatively flat compact package. If desired, a strap 22 may be secured to one bottom section and have snap fastening connections at 23 with the bottom of the other bottom section, to thus hold the parts in folded relation.

In Figs. 7 to 9 is illustrated a basket, otherwise in identical form with that previously described, except that the handle, and particularly that portion extending above the basket, is adapted to be folded down into a position below the upper edge of the basket when extended. As illustrated in these figures, the handle is made up of a sec tion 24 on each side, pivotally connected to the ears i of the bottom sections. This section 24 of the handle extends slightly above the upper edge of the basket and is formed with an inturned projection 25. The upper section of the handle, which is of the U-form previously described, as indicated in Figure 7 at 26, is pivotally connected at 21 to the lower handle sections, and formed with an opening 23 into which the projection 25 is received when the handle is in operative position and from which the upper section 26 may be disconnected to permit such upper section to be turned down in the position indicated in Figure 7 of the drawings. Intermediate the pivot 21 and the projection 25, the handle sections 24 and 26 are indented in reverse curve portions 29, in order that the upper section may be forced outwardly for more convenient engagement of the projection 25, when the handle is moved from the folded to the upright position, these indented portions forming a sort of frictional lock to prevent casual disconnection of the parts.

The invention contemplates the use of a pocket 38 removably connected at one end of the basket by snap fasteners 3! to the fabric wall. This pocket may have an opening 32 below the upper edge for convenience in inserting and removing articles therefrom, with such opening provided with a conventional or zipper fastener 33 or other conventional fastening, if desired.

It will be apparent that the basket merely through the manipulation of the wedging sections may be moved to open or collapse position in a simple and convenient manner without requiring any particular skill or labor, and when in an open position, the bottom sections are held rigidly in the same horizontal plane and the upper edge of the fabric wall also maintained in a comparatively straight line to provide a convenient open basket which may support a considerable load without danger of collapse. The supporting weight is carried by the handle, and as long as the wedging sections are in vertical position at the ends of the. basket and in contact with the bottom sections adjacent their free edges, the basket can not collapse.

What I claim is:

l. A folding basket having two bottom sections, a band clamping the adjacent edge of each section. the ends of the band being upturned to provide cars, a handle pivotally connected toboth ears to permit independent folding movemerit of each section, and a fabric wall extending upwardly from the two sections.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1, including bearings struck up from the bands, an upper frame support having a U-shaped wire member having its ends bent inwardly to engage the bearings, a wedging section swingingly supported by the wire section and having spaced terminal foot portions to bear on the bottom sections adjacent their free ends, said fabric wall being secured to the edges of the bottom sections and to the upper frame support at the ends of the basket.

3. A construction as defined in claim 1, wherein the handle is made of pivotally connected sections, with a rigid lower section connected to the ears of the band, and a movable upper section pivoted to the rigid section below the upper edge of the basket, the rigid section being formed with a projection and the movable section being formed with an opening to receive the projection when the handle sections are in operative relation to form a handle, and means for preventing accidental displacement of the movable section, the resiliency of the metal sections permitting the frictional means between the sections to be engaged and disengaged.

4. A construction as defined in claim 1, wherein the handle is made of pivotally connected sections, with a rigid lower section connected to the ears of the band, and a movable upper section pivoted to the rigid section below the upper edge of the basket, the rigid section being formed with a projection and the movable section being formed With an opening to receive the projection when the handle sections are in operative relation to form a handle, the rigid and movable sections' of the handle being formed with cooperative offset portions to slightly displace the movable section for cooperation with the projection and to act as a frictional retardation against casual displacement.

5. A folding basket having two bottom sections,

' a band clamping the inner adjacent edge of each section, the ends of the band being upturned to provide ears, a handle pivotally connected to both ears to permit independent folding movement of each section, an upper frame support having a U-shaped wire member swingingly supported at its lower end in the band, means for holding the U-shaped wire member in extended position, a fabric wall secured at its upper edge to the upper frame, and means around the side and outer ends of each section to clamp and hold the lower edge of the fabric wall.

ROY B. AI-ILMARK. 

